Display fixture



Sept. 9, 1958 R. A. LERSCH DISPLAY FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1956 be firm RICHARD A. LERscH Z: 2 7 lfe alz Z5 Keyan .Z YZT IE DISPLAY FIXTURE Richard A. Lersch, Ardsley, N. Y., assignor to Variety Display Service, Inc., Ardsley, N. Y., a corporation of Illinois Application November 23, 1956, Serial No. 623,954

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-40) The present invention relates to price channel snap-in display fixtures, and is particularly concerned with the provision of improved display fixtures having the following advantages:

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved display fixture which is adapted to be attached to or detached from the price tag channel with which store counters are now equipped, and which is adapted to hold a display card in a more prominent position, spaced from the article of furniture to which it is attached but located below the level of the counter so that it will not interfere with the use of the counter.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved display fixture of the class described which snaps into attached position, and which is adapted to be manufactured economically so that it may be sold to the user at a very low price.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved display fixture of the class described, which can be used for suspending price tags or for supporting sale posters in various positions below the counter top or about the counter top.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved resilient wire display fixture which may be used over and over again for different displays, and which may be attached and detached readily without damaging the fixture for further use.

And, another object of this invention is to provide an improved display assembly including a fixture which is readily mountable to and detachable from conventional price tag channels, the fixture having a front supporting portion for holding a display card for prominent exhibition to call attention to particular goods on store counters, the card having a unique structure cooperable with said supporting portion to facilitate easy, yet positive, attachment of the card on said fixture.

Specifically, an object of this invention is to provide a unitary wire display fixture comprising a substantially Z-shaped snap-in assembly adapted to enter behind the flanges of a conventional price channel for support therefrom, and a forwardly extending arm including a substantially U-shaped portion at its outer end for supporting a display card thereon. It further is within the contemplation of this invention to provide a single fixture which is adaptable to use in nearly all price channels, regardless of channel size. To this end, the parallel extending legs of the snap-in assembly are distanced sufficiently apart so that when pressed slightly together, they may positively be held in most of the known larger price channels, while, at the same time, pressing of the legs closely together enables the fixture to be held in even the smallest of known price channels. Moreover, the legs of the U-shaped portion are so arranged as to be cooperable with the display card support structure to assure positive retention of the card thereon.

And among its other specific objects, the invention includes the provision of a display card having a passage United States Patent O Patented Sept. 9, 1958 for receiving the U-shaped portion of the fixture therein, the passage being cooperable with said U-shaped portion to maintain the display card stationary and having a shoulder against which the extremity of said U-shaped portion is engageable to prevent removal of the card.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the single sheet of drawings accompanying this specification,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective, showing the display fixture assembly supporting a sale display card in one of the positions of the fixture;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the fixture; and

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the fixture;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one preferred form of the invention;

Figure 4a is a similar view of another preferred form of the invention;

Figure 5 is a view taken along line 5--5 in Figure 4a;

Figure 6 is a back view of the display card in Figure 4a, with portions broken away, and is taken in direction of the arrows 6-6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 in Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a partial perspective view showing the fixture display card support portion.

Referring in particular to Figures 1-3, the present display fixture is particularly adapted to-be used with store furniture such as a counter or rail 10, or a shelf, which is provided with price tag channel 11, extending along its forward edge.

Such a price tag channel'may be in the form of a metal member having a plane attaching flange 12, upper and lower U-shaped retaining flanges 13 and 14 extending toward each other and slightly spaced from the attaching flange 12.

The retaining flanges are attached in each case by meansof a hairpin bend 15, 16, and the spacing is sufficient so that a cardboard price tag may be inserted by sliding it in endwise or by bowing it outward until its edges pass the edges 17 and 18 of the retaining flanges.

These opposed edges 17 and 18 are spaced from each other to expose the price tag, and the width of the retaining flanges 13 and 14-is merely suflicient to retain a cardboard price, tag or one of ordinary paper.

The present display fixture is indicated in its entirety by the numeral 19, and it is preferably constructed of resilient steel wire of a size which may be as small as possible to reduce the cost, provided it is of suflicient stiffness to be retained in the price tag channel 11 and to support the display card 20.

The fixture 19 comprises an attaching structure indi cated at 21, a forwardly extending arm 22, and a. supporting structure 23 for the display card.

The supporting structure 23 for the display card may comprise a downwardly turned portion extending from an obtuse angle at 24 to the bottom of an upwardly open hook, having an easy bend at 25, and having an upwardly extending leg 26a and end portion 26.

The hook, comprising the parts 25 and 26, may be used for supporting any kind of a price tag having an aperture or having an attached string or other structure.

In the example shown in Figure l, the upwardly extending portion 26 is engaged by a U-shaped bend 27 in an adhesive strip 28, such as a piece of fabric or paper having contact adhesive thereon and adhesively attached to the back of the display card 20.

The contact adhesive not only attaches the member 27, 28 to the card, but it prevents the card'from rotat-,

, ing-on the upwardly;extending portion 26 to which it 3 adheres also and thus the card is held in substantial parallelism with the front of the counter.

The fixture 19 is preferably made of one integral length of spring steel wire, and the supporting portion 23 for the card is carried by an upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 22, which spaces the card 20 from the counter and aids in drawing attention to the display.

The attaching structure 21 of the fixture comprises a pair of parallel wire portions 29 and 30, joined by a diagonally extending portion 31, which is attached to the parallel portions at acute angles 32, 33.

The parallel portions 29 and are initially widely spaced from each other so that they must be compressed together to be inserted in the U-shaped retaining flanges 13 and 14, where they spring out, engaging the inside of the U-shaped bends 15 and 16.

In order that the forwardly extending arm 22 of the fixture 19 may not interfere with the lower retaining flange 14, the lower parallel portion 30 is integrally attached to an upwardly extending offset 34, which is integrally attached at the bend to the forwardly extending arm 22.

The offset 34 extends at a right angle 36 to the lower parallel portion 30, and the angle at 35 clears the edge 18 of the lower retaining flange 14.

Referring to Figure 4, it is seen that arm 20 of the therein illustrated fixture 19a is extended directly into the fixture supporting structure, thus eliminating the bend at angle 24. The offset 34 further is shown extending from the upper of the parallel wire portions 29, 30 to further illustrate how the attaching structure 21 may be mounted to channel 11. As seen further in Figure 4, the arm 22, card supporting structure 23 including leg 26a, bend 25 and end portion 26 all lie in a common plane which is generally perpendicular to counter 10 and channel 11. The display card 20a, as disclosed immediately hereinafter, is adapted to receive supporting structure 23 and be held thereby perpendicular to channel 11. Thus, card 20a can be conspicuously positioned in the aisle beside the counter, carrying its message on each side to draw attention to the particular goods it advertises.

Mounting of display card 200: to the display fixture is accomplished in the following manner. The card preferably is formed from laminated paperboard material, the outer laminations 37 being of that quality paperboard suitable for carrying printed advertising matter. The inner lamination 38 is formed with a peripheral passage or pocket 39, the walls of which are arranged similarly to the shape of the fixture supporting structure 23. Within pocket 39, a shoulder 40 is formed in one wall. The fixture leg 26a and end portion 26 are normally spaced apart a distance which is greater than that between walls 41, 42 of pocket 39. Hence, as the fixture supporting structure 23 is inserted within pocket 39, leg 26a and end portion 26 are sprung together, and with the supporting structure seated within the pocket, the extremity of end portion 26 abuts against shoulder 40, thereby preventing removal of display card 20a from fixture 19.

Figures 4a through 7 illustrate another modification of the invention wherein leg 26a, bend 25 and end portion 26 of the fixture supporting structure, lie in a common plane which extends generally parallel with channel 11. Further, the display card 20b also is adapted to lie parallel with channel 11. Card 20b. however, is formed from thinner paperboard material, and carries at its back 43 a mounting 44 adapted to receive the fixture supporting structure 23. Mounting 44 is attached to back 43 by any suitable means, such as cement, and has in its inner face 45 a pocket 390, the shape of which is similar to that of pocket 39. A shoulder 40a also is provided on one wall of pocket 39a, and display card 20b is mountable to and retainable by the fixture in the same manner as that explained for display card 20a.

The operation of the present display fixture assemblies will be apparent from the foregoing description of their parts and the illustration of their use. They may be readily attached to a channel 11 by merely pressing the parallel portions 29 and 30 together and permitting them to snap into and behind the flanges 13 and 14 of the display tag channel 11 Using the forwardly extending arm 22 as a handle, the portions 30, 31 may be forced to approach each other so as to free the lower parallel portion 30 to remove the fixture.

By means of the fixtures, larger display cards may be attached to a counter and they may be located in a position forwardly of the counter where they attract attention, but they support the display card below the level of the counter, so that they do not interfere with the use of the counter.

In some cases the display fixture may be reversed, having the U-shaped portion 25 located at the top where it may draw particular attention to a certain display which relates to goods located on the counter for special attention.

The present fixture may be used over and over again and it may be manufactured very cheaply, and its cost may be realized over and over again by the purchaser in the profits of sales resulting from such a prominent display. Moreover, the figures are easy to pack and economical to ship; since, a box 6 inches by 9 inches by 4 inches easily holds one hundred in nesting relationship.

Although what has been shown and described are preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the herein disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting the invention, but instead is given for the purpose of illustration so that the invention may be better understood. Various changes and rearrangements of the details shown may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the herein display fixtures and display cards may be interchanged and paired to make further display fixture assemblies.

What is claimed is:

l. A spring-action attachable and removable device for supporting a display item outwardly from a horizontal channel structure of generally C-shaped outline and having parallel mutually facing grooves which are shallow compared to their distance apart, the device comprising a single length of spring material of uniform cross-section providing five legs integrally joined in tandem and each having a first end and a second end, the first and third legs being generally parallel to, and opposite to, each other and each receivable within a separate one of the said grooves, the second leg connecting the second end of the first leg to the diagonally opposite first end of the third leg and serving to hold the first and third legs within the said grooves, the fourth leg connecting the second end of the third leg to the first end of the fifth leg and extending inwardly from the second end of the third leg toward the first leg to a location clear of the associated one of said grooves, and the fifth leg extending outwardly from the said location to a location at which a said display item is to be supported.

2. A spring-action attachable and removable device for supporting a display item outwardly from a horizontal channel structure of generally C-shaped outline and having parallel mutually facing grooves which are shallow compared to their distance apart, the device consisting of a single length of spring wirc providing five legs integrally joined in tandem and each having a first end and a second end, the first four legs all lying within the same plane, with the fifth leg extending outwardly at right angles to such plane, the first and third legs being parallel to, and opposite to, each other and being receivable within the said grooves, the second leg connecting the second end of the first leg to the diagonally opposite first end of the thirdleg and serving to hold the first and third legs within the said grooves, the fourth leg being at right angles to the first and third legs and connecting the second end of the third leg to the first end of the fifth leg, the fourth leg extending inwardly within said plane from the second end of the third leg toward the first leg to a location clear of the associated one of said grooves, and the fifth leg extending outwardly from the said location to a location at which a said display item is to be supported.

3. A spring-action attachable and removable device for supporting a display item outwardly from a horizontal channel structure of generally O-shaped outline and having parallel mutually facing grooves which are shallow compared to their distance apart, the device consisting of a single length of spring wire providing five legs integrally joined in tandem and each having a first end and 'a second end, the first four legs all lying within the same plane, with the fifth leg extending outwardly at right angles to such plane, the first and third legs being parallel to, and opposite to, each other and being receivable within the said grooves, the second leg connecting the second end of the first leg to the diagonally opposite first end of the third leg and serving to hold the first and third legs Within the said grooves, the fourth leg being at right 6 angles to the first and third legs and connecting the second end of the third leg to the first end of the fifth leg, the fourth leg extending inwardly within said plane from the second end of the third leg toward the first leg to a location clear of the associated one of said grooves, and the fifth leg extending outwardly from the said location to a location at which a said display item is to be supported, the fifth leg terminating at the last said location in an integral looped portion thereof adapted to engage and support a said display item at the last said location.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,188,227 Woods June 20, 1916 1,223,998 Maynard Apr. 24, 1917 2,080,325 Lowmaster May 11, 1937 2,130,945 Brownell Sept. 20, 1938 2,141,342 Brownell Dec. 27, 1938 2,342,542 Hoofer Feb. 22, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 1 1,713 Great Britain May 23, 1902 

